Microgeographic Adaptation of Wood Frog Tadpoles to an Apex Predator

Autor: Nicole A. Freidenfelds, Peter P. Saunders, Jonathan L. Richardson, Dana L. Drake, John F. Fischer, Mark C. Urban
Rok vydání: 2017
Předmět:
Zdroj: Copeia. 105:451-461
ISSN: 1938-5110
0045-8511
DOI: 10.1643/cg-16-534
Popis: Rapid adaptation of defenses can alter ecological dynamics following introduction of a new predator. We tested for local adaptation in Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica) populations that face varying selection from an apex predator, the Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum), which is expanding its distribution in the study region. We performed a reciprocal transplant experiment with Wood Frog eggs and tadpoles and tested survival of tadpoles when exposed to Marbled Salamander larvae in experimental predation trials. We also evaluated life history, behavioral, and morphological trait variation with respect to origin and transplant environments. We found that tadpoles from populations exposed to high risk from Marbled Salamanders survived better when raised in high-risk environments than tadpoles from low-risk populations. However, tadpoles from high-risk environments experienced lower survival than those from low-risk environments when raised in low-risk environments. Development rate, activity, and morphology dif...
Databáze: OpenAIRE